The Fundamentals of Mobile Device Management (MDM)

The fundamentals of Mobile Device Management (MDM) come from a pre-COVID world where CIOs were challenged to stem the flow of unsecured devices arising from then-current Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies.

MDM platforms were intended to enable uniformity and centralize enforcement in a high-risk environment:

• Enterprises had lost the ability to dictate the hardware and software parameters of network endpoints
• Information security faced a rising tide of novel threats along with growing regulatory compliance cost
• With cloud migration, it was vital to ensure all personnel had access to the same data and applications

Many MDM suites were robust and scalable, meeting the needs of the time quite well. However, those needs have evolved. The coronavirus has accelerated the transition to remote-first work strategies and made it more urgent for businesses to leverage global talent pools, adding significant complexity to networks.

At the same time, Internet of Things (IoT) devices bring with them the potential to introduce critical security vulnerabilities. Many companies will use IoT to achieve unprecedented productivity or even transform their business model entirely, but this comes at a greater risk of attacks on hardware infrastructure.

By its original definition, MDM is no longer sufficient to meet today’s needs.

Central administration and uniform policy execution is now crucial across all categories of hardware, including mobile devices, desktops, and an ever-increasing variety of sophisticated IoT devices. IT strategy is turning to UEM – Unified Endpoint Management – as the solution for a new era.

UEM differs from MDM in several key ways:

• It is hardware- and owner-agnostic, allowing IT to provision, control, and secure any device type
• It is platform-agnostic, driving greater integration between Windows and non-Windows devices
• It addresses the usability, privacy, and cost-effectiveness considerations that have arisen in MDM
• It leverages device management features in macOS and Chrome OS incompatible with legacy tools

UEM makes it easier than ever to protect mission critical data, including by locking down a device that is lost or stolen. Application and system provisioning functions can be performed remotely on any enrolled device at any time. Respected vendors including VMware and Soti are rapidly rolling out new UEM capabilities.

For enterprises, this is a worthwhile – but potentially complicated – evolution.

The Real Cost of Failing to Update Your MDM May Be Higher Than You Think

The benefits of updating your MDM solution are clear.

If you commit to do so, you can save millions by eliminating extraneous licensing costs, shifting your help desk to higher-priority tasks, and protecting your bottom line from long-term liabilities associated with data breach. A transition also opens the door to better vendor relationships and new staffing models.

Yet, many IT executives are hesitant to go forward. Even when change makes financial sense, it’s still a major investment in time and frustration. The larger the fleet of managed devices, the more difficult it seems – but the more valuable it becomes for keeping your workforce nimble, modern, and proactive.

INFRASI offers the visibility you need for seamless, effective change.

To leverage UEM to the utmost, we help you:

• Streamline endpoint operations by identifying and mitigating any existing legacy OS dependencies
• Audit current endpoint management capabilities and create pilot environments to test new solutions
• Build a UEM transition roadmap including milestones for endpoint refresh and process modernization

Our end-to-end technology consulting services and comprehensive offerings make us the partner of choice for raising efficiency, ideation, and innovation throughout your company. We accelerate your UEM roll-out, fostering enthusiastic adoption at all levels and shortening your time to value.

To find out more about the future of UEM, contact our team today.